Betrayal
by Reddragon13x
Summary: Kagome had always been dutiful. And after her ties to the only people who cared about her are severed, she vows to fulfill her duty. Even if it mean she has to kill the one she loves most.
1. Chapter 1

Betrayal

Disclaimer: I do not own either Inuyasha or Naruto, I'm simply an addicted fangirl trying her hand at writing. I make no money off this work. This disclaimer extends to any and all chapters of this piece.

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Her body shook and her eyes watered. This couldn't be happening, it just couldn't! How could he kill them, how could Itachi betray them like that? Betray _her_ like that. It wasn't possible. This was just a nightmare, just a horrible, horrible nightmare that, come morning, would fade away. But deep down Kagome knew that this was reality and that Itachi had committed the ultimate betrayal by slaughtering his clan and severing the ties between her mind and his.

She had been training when it had happened. Kagome had been over come by dizziness and had collapsed in the dirt of the training grounds, lying there trying to make the world stop spinning. She had finally managed to rise only to realize the symptoms she felt had come from the seal bound in both her and Itachi's blood shattering. Kagome had rushed to the Uchiha district as fast as her dizzy and weak body allowed her to discover what was going on. What she saw there would haunt her and terrorize her in her nightmares from then on.

Blood was splattered everywhere and bodies lay strewn about on the streets. Shuddering with disgust and trepidation Kagome had hesitated for a long moment before she steeled herself for what she might see and raced towards where Itachi lived fearing that something had happened to him. A sorrowful glance was all she had allowed herself as she raced past the corpses of friends and almost-family.

When she arrived at the house she had burst in, not bothering to take any of the formal steps necessary when entering the house of a clan leader. Ignoring the main house she had instead she headed towards the training room where she could feel faint chakra signals.... and to both her surprise and growing horror she could feel both Itachi's and Sasuke's chakra. What disturbed her the most was the maliciousness of Itachi's aura. She had never felt anything like that.

As she yanked open the heavy oaken doors to the training room she stumbled and gasped, for there on the floor where Fugaku and Mikoto, dead, and only a little ways away was Sasuke staring at something beyond the bodies. As her eyes followed his gaze she began to tremble for there in the darkness was Itachi easily and calmly wielding the katana he had been gifted with when he had became an ANBU.

Kagome knew then that Itachi had inflicted all of the damage she had seen, knew that he was the one who had permanently stained the streets a bloody red. For all the years she had been with Itachi she had never been afraid of him, not once, but now seeing him like this, eyes impassive as he watched her piece together all that happened, Kagome felt true fear for the first time in her life.

"Why brother? _Why_?" Sasuke's voice cracked on brother and his words drew Kagome out of her stupor. She drew a kunai in each hand before slipping into tight a defensive position. She hoped Sasuke would be smart enough to wait for Itachi to make the first move, but judging from the way that he trembled with hatred and rage she guessed all rational thought had fled from his mind. Her fear was proved correct, when Sasuke charged forward intent on killing the person who had slew his family.

Itachi smoothly dodged his punch and then calmly rammed his fist into Sasuke's gut, sending him flying back. Sasuke would have hit the wall had Kagome not shot forward to catch him, in the process losing any advantage on attacking Itachi.

She ignored this fact and set Sasuke gently upon the floor before shooting forward, her hands whipping the kunai she had drawn before at Itachi before beginning to rapidly form seals, hoping to be able to summon _it_ before he got to her. But Kagome had vastly underestimated how fast Itachi could move because before she couldn't even fully start to make the first seal before Itachi was before her, his hand shooting out to snap her wrist.

_Crack._

Kagome let out a sharp cry as she felt the bones in her wrist be crushed by the one she had used to trust so implicitly. Itachi with an easy movement drew her up to his face. His next words both froze and shattered her aching heart.

"Why the hatred, Kagome? Do you believe that they would have lived much longer? And so much anger before you have even seen what has happened to _your_ dear family."

Itachi spoke softly into her ear and when he was done he softly licked her ear lobe. Despite how much she hated and feared him right now her body still shuddered softly in desire. When he felt this he allowed a smirk to briefly cross his aristocratic features before he banished the emotion away.

"If you hurt Souta I swear I will _bury_ your own blade in your heart."

Kagome spoke the words savagely but she knew that no matter what she did or how strong she grew, Itachi would always be stronger, faster, _better_. Never the less they still seemed to amuse Itachi. His next words were proof of that.

"Really, then why was it that before I removed the seal that I could have you begging before me in an instant? And I bet you, even now I could have you writhing upon the floor easily."

As he spoke the words Itachi moved his mouth from her ear down to her neck and he planted soft kisses there. Kagome sank her teeth into her lip in order to keep the sounds of pleasure in. Itachi, as if scolding her for not allowing him to hear her whimpers, sharply bit her neck before soothing it with his tongue.

Kagome knew she was falling and if she didn't find some way to stop it she would be too far gone to stop herself from begging him to continue his sinful actions upon her body. She also knew that if Itachi were truly bent of breaking her spirit and Sasuke's heart he would take her here on the wood stained red with the blood of his parents. And she would let him. That single fact was what scared her most out of all that had happened.

Sasuke watched the scene stunned, how could she be enjoying this? He felt his hatred of her grow exponentially, especially when she tried to break free of Itachi before slumping into his arms. He was surprised when Itachi simply moved to where the blood had not stained the floorboards and gently placed Kagome down before turning to look at him. Sasuke felt fear blossom in his chest, for if Itachi didn't leave Kagome unscathed, and he could clearly see the blood welling up gently upon her neck, then what chance did he have of Itachi going easy on him?

Sasuke was proven right when Itachi activated Tsukiyomi upon him. Sasuke's screams rang out through the compound. The last thing he could remember before he blacked out was Itachi leaning over Kagome softly licking up the blood upon her neck before murmuring, "I will come for you, and when I do, you had better be ready for me."

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Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi had been called to the Hokage's office for 'an important meeting'. Sasuke personally thought it was bullshit: the only time that the Hokage wanted to meet with all of them was when they had a really crappy mission to complete and she needed to badger them into doing it. As they passed Shizune at her desk, she looked up from her paperwork to comment to Kakashi, "You had best be careful when you go in there, Tsunade is in a _foul_ mood."

Kakashi barely spared a glance at Shizune but nodded in recognition of the advice. As they entered they could clearly hear Tsunade's aggravated voice demanding, "Then why have you come back if not to be re-instated as a shinobi?"

"Because there is unfinished business here that I must complete before I leave for good." It was not the words but the voice that spoke them that had Sasuke suddenly flying forward -drawing a kunai as he did so- towards the figure that had _dared_ to return after what she had done.

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I've decided to re-edit all of my posted chapters, and this is the first one to be remolded. Leave your reviews with your opinion of my story and I'll reply as soon as possible.


	2. Chapter 2

The shocked gasps of his teammates did nothing to deter him as he made a move to slit the throat of the traitorous bitch that had let this happen. However before his kunai could connect with her flesh she had ducked and grabbed the arm wielding the kunai and twisted it around, completely incapacitating him.

"Now, now Sasuke patience is a virtue." Kagome looked both amused and sad as she looked down upon the one who used to idolize her.

"And you would definitely know all about virtues wouldn't you Kagome." The fact that he was facing the floor with the blood rushing to his head did nothing to lessen the malice in his voice. If he couldn't injure her physically then he would do it mentally, and though he was far less skilled at it than Itachi, he was still fairly good at hitting her weak points.

Feeling her flinch slightly, Sasuke allowed a triumphant expression onto his face. Kagome deserved every drop of pain she received, and more, for what she did.

The Hokage rose up slightly in her chair, probably hoping to make it seem like she hadn't just been ready to attack the woman who so stubbornly defied her.

"Kagome, release him. No matter who instigated it, he is a shinobi and from a powerful clan and you are just a traveler who left this village under very suspicious circumstances." Tsunade's voice was firm and her expression broke no argument.

Kagome slowly let go of her hold on his arm before stepping back quickly to avoid Sasuke whipping around and swiping his kunai across where her neck had been seconds before. Kakashi moved forward in an instant and had him restrained. Naruto and Sakura just looked on dumbly.

Tsunade, seeing that Kakashi was not about to let Sasuke go any time soon, sighed and rubbed her temples in frustration. "I want you all to meet Kagome Higurashi," Kakashi with his free hand cheerfully waved at her, "She is the reason why I called you all here. I had hoped to convince her to reenroll as a shinobi, but since she refuses I want you all to help her gather more supplies and anything else she needs then show her on her way. Kagome, as a personal favour I will make sure that the documents say you where never here today, and that is all I am going to do to help you."

Kagome blinked for a second before smiling brilliantly at the Hokage. Her voice conveyed her gratitude in her next statement. And her amusement.

"Thank you Tsunade, I am grateful for what you could do to aid me. However I must ask that Sasuke not accompany me during this. It would cause unnecessary problems and I would not dare to add more paperwork to your already substantial pile."

Tsunade stiffened at the subtle jab at her abilities to fufill her duty as Hokage. Even if it was partially true. She pasted on a polite façade and composed herself before she replied.

"I'm sure that it _would _save me paper work if it was classified as a mission in writing. But since I seem to recall you saying you needed to tie up some loose ends before you leave for good Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi can escort you and help you finish it."

Kagome realizing that the Hokage was not going to give up grimaced and conceded. She was going to have to watch her back though; Sasuke obviously wouldn't hesitate to shove a kunai through it.

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Kagome ignored the two children rapidly rushing after her trying in vain to keep up with her rapid gait. She was furious. Not at Sasuke-even though it was annoying to have to watch her back around him- not even at Tsunade, who pressured so harshly to get her return as a shinobi. She was furious at herself for losing control of her emotions for even a split second.

_What would have happened if it was Itachi instead of Sasuke, huh? Do you think you would have made it out of there alive? No, he would have slit your throat in the time it took you to try to resolve your indecision. _The harsh words of her inner voice where just what she needed to get herself back under control. After all it would not do to show any emotion that would give an enemy leverage.

Kagome let out a sudden trilling sharp as glass laugh at that last thought. Even after years she still had not managed to rid herself of the habits she had had ingrained into her from her time in the Uchiha household.

"Umm. Miss Kagome?" Kagome was jolted out of her reverie by the voice of the rosette haired girl.

"Can you _please _stop walking so damn fast?" Turning to observe the two who had been saddled with her she saw that they where indeed tired not just faking it to irritate her.

Not being able to hold back a scoff she stated, "I see that they have stopped training you shinobi as thoroughly as they during my time. Pity. We could use some prodigy's right now."

Sakura looked about to question the last comment of Kagome's but she wasn't given anytime to do so. Kagome sharply turned and continued on her way, with Naruto and Sakura hurrying after her. Noticing that they were silent, Kagome mentally nodded in appreciation.

_This is how it should be. _

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_This is not how it should be. _

Kakashi frowned at the un-repentant boy before him. Sasuke looked back stubbornly at him, not in the least regretting his attacking Kagome earlier. Glancing at the Hokage, Kakashi gathered that she wasn't to thrilled about it either.

"Sasuke, may I ask why you attacked a former shinobi of this village?" Though the request was polite everyone present heard the order behind them.

"She deserved what she got for what she did to my family." Sasuke looked furious just from the thought.

Kakashi looked at the Hokage before carefully phrasing the question he was about to ask.

"What did Kagome do to make you hate her so much? When you where a child I always though you adored her."

Sasuke jerked his head up to look at Kakashi and he was surprised by what he found in those eyes. Regret, anger, hurt, anguish, and overwhelming sorrow.

"She betrayed our clan by submitting to Itachi." His voice was flat and hard, as if all emotion had been sucked from his body.

Tsunade hesitated before giving this information out, after all who knew how he would use it.

"Sasuke, the seal placed on Kagome, if it is the one I believe it to be, would have made it practically impossible to deny Itachi anything. And even after the seal was broken the leftover remnants of it would have influenced Kagome heavily. She couldn't have fought him if she wanted to."


	3. Chapter 3

Betrayal

Kagome looked up at the imposing gates of the now locked up Uchiha district. Memories surfaced rapidly.

_Kagome ran to catch up to Itachi as he entered the district before the district closed the gates for the night. _

"_Itachi! Wait up! I'm not as fast as you!" Half expecting him to continue walking she was surprised when he stopped to let her get even with him. Then she saw what was up ahead. Sasuke was standing there looking betrayed and desolate._

"_You broke our promise Kagome, you said you'd play with me today!"_

Kagome physically shook her head from side to side to dislodge the memory.

"How are we supposed to get inside if it's locked up tight?" Kagome turned to Naruto in surprise. Had he never learned _anything_ in the academy?

Then shrugging in dismissal Kagome reached forward and in a blurring movement ripped the lock clear of the steel poles it tied together. Ignoring the dumbfounded faces of the kids behind her she strode forward, intent on getting what she needed before anyone was alerted of her actions.

Seeing that their mission was getting away Sakura and Naruto hurried after her, but not before Naruto paused at the gates and gave the spot where the lock used to reside an amazed look.

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Sasuke, with his lecture about his breach in conduct concluded, raced towards the Uchiha Temple knowing without a doubt that would be where Kagome was going. Kakashi, following at a more sedate pace, was not so sure.

"How do you know that that would be where she was going instead of somewhere more private?" His voice was thick with doubt at the fact that a girl would hide anything in a _temple_.

Sasuke barely glanced back as he answered, "Kagome went everywhere Itachi went and he often went to the temple, thus she had to have been comfortable there. Also Kagome is a kunoichi and no matter what you say she still thinks like one, so she would go to the spot that was most likely to produce what she wanted. In this case, the Uchiha Temple."

And predicting Kakashi's next question he spoke again, "I don't know what she's getting but I know how she thinks and I think I know what it is for."

Kakashi's brow furrowed at the dark tone Sasuke used when he spoke those last words.

"What do you think she's going to use it for?"

"Killing Itachi."

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Kagome flitted up the Temple stairs easily familiar with the uneven steps designed to stall intruders. She was so intent on her task that she missed the darker shadows following her into the large airy main room.

Wasting no time Kagome gave a short bow of apology to the effigy standing in the center of the room before swiftly removing the tatami mats at its feet. She then lifted the floorboards praying that it remained as she had last left it.

_Yes!_

There nestled in a bed of velvet lay her prized gear. Designed specifically for Kagome for when she accompanied Itachi on ANBU assignation missions she had been told to guard the items closely and carefully, it had been recommended to hide them somewhere until she had a need of them. And so she had, and years later when she needed them they were there to aid her.

Sakura and Naruto huffed and puffed as they entered the Temple but the grew silent at the sight of Kagome reverently withdrawing an outfit, a beautiful yet wickedly sharp looking sword, a set of kunai and shuriken made from silver, and oddly enough a stick of incense.

Sakura opened her mouth to question why a stick of incense was with what were obviously an assassin's weapons when Sasuke and Kakashi arrived.

"You intend to use Masamune to kill Itachi?" The condescending tone in Sasuke's voice was palpable.

Kagome looked up and frowned and looked about to reply before something caught her attention. Her body whipped to the side, smoothly sliding into a defensive position. She stayed like that for a long moment before rising slowly.

Glancing at Kakashi she spoke quietly but authoritively, "There's someone here. They might have come in the back way, you had best check to make sure they're gone."

Catching the hint Kagome was subtly giving him, Kakashi ordered his group to search the back rooms, as he passed by her he muttered too low for anyone else's ears, "I hope you know what you're doing."

Looking down at the sword she still held in her hands she nodded slightly. Once she was sure they where gone she quickly stripped down and redressed herself in her hunter gear. Kagome gave a small sigh of happiness at being in the outfit that had guided her so well so many years ago. The shirt was too snug around her bust and it was shorter now than it was before, but the pants fit perfectly and the kunai and shuriken slipped silently into the designated pouches.

Carrying Masamune in her hands Kagome knelt before the alter. Then following the ancient rituals, she lit the incense in the same movement as drawing her blade. She knelt quietly until the incense had burned low enough that it had ignited the oil in the surrounding dish. Once that oil caught flame Kagome grabbed her thick hip length hair in one hand and held it above the flames. She then chopped off enough hair that what remained brushed against the bottom of her shoulder blades.

Kagome hesitated for a second before releasing the hair into the writhing bowl of flame.

"Goddess may you accept my sacrifice and lead me to victory." The traditional prayer of her clan slipped out before she could stop it, but once said Kagome felt as if a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders.

The brief moment of peace Kagome had enjoyed disappeared when Kakashi, Sakura, Sasuke, and a loudly complaining Naruto returned.

"I still don't see why _we_ had to go search for the stupid intruders when Kagome was the one who heard them." Naruto grumbled more unintelligible stuff under his breath as he saw Kagome silently watching him her short hair swaying in the slight breeze.

Sasuke noticed the burning hair in the ceremonial bowl and the outfit she was wearing but chose to ignore it.

"What will you do now, Kagome?" His voice was slightly bitter but he took no notice of it. Instead he focused upon what Kagome would say next.

"Isn't it obvious, dear brother? She'll try and kill me."

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I just love cliffhangers, but anyways please tell me what you think of the story so far. And of course any ideas you have.


	4. Chapter 4

Betrayal

Notes: This chapter came to me while I was trying to write something else, and I was like "Oh!! I need to do this chapter right now!" and so I did. Hope you like it.

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To Kagome everything seemed to move in slow motion; Sasuke charging forward chidori ready in his hand, Kakashi removing his headband, Sakura and Naruto numbly moving into defensive positions. Then as if she had suddenly been given the ability to see into the future she could predict exactly what was going to happen: Sasuke would charge forward aiming to hit Itachi, Itachi would dodge and with a twist of his wrist send his katana through Sasuke's stomach.

_Kami forgive me for what I am about to do. _

Kagome, in the instant it took for Sasuke to reach Itachi, had dropped her sword and raced forward shoving Sasuke out of the way to take the blow that would have without a doubt killed Sasuke. As it was, the katana pierced Kagome's abdomen and continued forward to burst out her back. Blood spurted out her mouth as Itachi smoothly removed the katana from her body.

"Fool." With that he disappeared into the darkness leaving Kagome crumpled in a puddle of her own blood heaving and choking. And even as she felt her natural healing abilities kick in she knew that this wound would definitely kill her, and she welcomed it.

_I have fulfilled my duty, to protect the future of the Uchiha clan. _

Then she felt it. Foreign chakra seeping into her body. It was powerful and dark; it was Itachi's. Kagome, against her wishes, felt a small spark of hope kindle in her long dormant heart; maybe, just maybe, Itachi cared about something other than getting power. However that hope was shattered when she felt the chakra meld with her own to create a sort of tracker allowing Itachi to know her position no matter how she worked to hide her chakra.

"Kagome, hold on, Tsunade-sama is coming, she'll be able to help you!" The voice of the girl, Sakura, in her ear forced her awake, when Kagome hadn't realized she was slipping into slumber.

She barely managed to open her mouth to choke out what she wanted to say, but somehow she did, "Don't ….be stu-…. pid…I won't…. last… the night."

"Yes, you will Kagome. If you don't, you will have failed in your duty." There was Sasuke, his voice harsh and commanding. It almost reminded her of Sasuke's father in the way that it forced her to do something she didn't want to do by reminding her of her duty. She felt a spark of amusement at that last thought and before she could stop it laughter bubbled up in her throat and spilled out into the still night.

Kagome then let out a sharp cry as her wound contracted, a burning sensation spreading through her body rapidly.

"Kagome, I need you to focus. What hurts?" Kagome heard the Hokage's voice as though from a long distance away.

"Everything." Then Kagome embraced the cool blackness.

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After hours of emergency surgery and lots of blood transfusions Kagome's condition had stabilized enough to allow her to move to a room instead of just an operating table.

"Will she be okay?" Kakashi asked the question on all of team seven's minds.

Tsunade doing a routine check up looked from Kagome's blood chart for only a second to look at Kagome herself before replying, "I believe so, but there is only so much we can do. The rest is up to Kagome herself."

Kakashi frowned behind his mask and said, "There is something you should know, Tsunade."

Tsunade with her brow furrowed asked, "What is it, Kakashi? This blood chart is confusing enough without having to listen to you."

Ignoring the jab Kakashi spoke.

"Right before Kagome passed out some chakra made its way into Kagome's system. And it wasn't her own, but someone else's; someone very powerful."

Everyone's heads snapped up at that comment. Tension suddenly strummed to high levels in light of this new development.

"Well, that would explain why she healed so quickly; there was foreign chakra helping her. Damn, this is going to cause so much paperwork."

"I'm so glad that you care how well I am Tsunade." Kagome's weak voice came from where she was struggling to rise into a sitting position on her bed.

Naruto and Sakura quickly helped Kagome rise while Tsunade handed her a glass of water to drink.

"How are you feeling?" Tsunade said, carefully pitching her voice between concern and professionalism.

"How do you think I'm supposed to feel? I got run through with a katana because someone" And here Kagome glared at Sasuke, "was stupid enough to blindly attack an S-ranked criminal."

Sasuke frowned but made no comment. Kakashi, however, had a question for Kagome.

"Who's chakra was it that entered your body and helped speed up your healing process?"

Kagome blinked in surprise before cursing rapidly in her mind. _How could they have known- calm down Kagome, they don't know it was Itachi's. If they did you wouldn't be here but instead in the Interrogation building._

"I have no idea-I mean I know that someone gave me some chakra but I have no idea who it was or what it was there for." While saying those bald faced lies, Kagome maintained an innocent façade, before she slumped forward with a gasp of pain as though her wounds hurt her.

As expected Tsunade shooed everyone outside and pretended to change Kagome's bandages while quietly saying, "Be careful, Kagome. If you go after him, he may turn around and go after you again."

Acknowledging the advice Kagome murmured softly, "I know. But this is the only way. Besides, Itachi is going to find me again no matter what. Why do you think I left the village?"

Tsunade said nothing more and neither did Kagome. Once she was done she said plainly, "I hope you don't try to escape out the southwestern gate while I finish my rounds. And I certainly pray that you don't take your gear from the closest along with the bag there filled with supplies."

Kagome smiled a true smile after what felt like decades of running and hiding her identity.

"Thank you, Tsunade."

Without a backward glance she left the room but not before saying, "For what?"

The door closed with a decisive click, and then another one as the lock slid home. Kagome instantly threw the covers aside, yanked off the disgusting hospital clothes and slipped into her hunter outfit. She was surprised to find no hole in the material at all.

_Looks like Tsunade decided to give me another gift. _

Once all her things where in place Kagome grabbed the bag that was left beside her stuff and climbed out the window silently. Dropping twenty feet to the ground Kagome hit the ground and took off in a quick sprint towards the southwest gate.

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Itachi silently tracked Kagome's chakra as she raced toward where he waited with Kisame and Deidara. She was moving quite fast for someone in her condition, though it was obvious that the Hokage had healed her injuries to the point where they were almost non-existent.

"So, why is it that we are waiting here, yeah?" Deidara's annoyingly loud voice distracted Itachi for a brief second before he blocked him out.

Kisame answered for Itachi since he knew Itachi was busy tracking the girl.

"We're here because Itachi wants us to be and because that chit is coming to find him." His voice was gruff because honestly he had been forced to stay up for 3 days on end without sleep in order to hunt down some little insignificant girl. Though if Itachi thought she was important enough to hunt down there might be something there…

Deidara was about to open his mouth to reply when a women appeared before them, her blue-black hair was bound in a tight French braid and her silvery blue eyes flashed in predatorial glee.

"I thought I would find you here Itachi." Kagome's voice was filled with triumph.

"I'm surprised you actually came, Kagome, after all your wounds shouldn't have healed so quickly." Kagome flushed slightly at the insinuation that she wouldn't be alive without Itachi's help.

Kagome felt her braid swish in a sudden breeze and fingers lightly pressing a pressure point on her neck. The only thing she knew before she blacked out was Itachi gently catching her by the waist and leaning down to speak into her ear before softly biting the lobe.

"Looks like I caught you, pet."

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Dun dun dunnnnn. cough Sorry I just had to do that. Anyways tell me what you think! I hope to have the next chapter up by Sunday since I have a wonderful idea that I'm uber excited to include in it.


	5. Chapter 5

Betrayal

Notes: I apologize for the delay in posting this, I had forgotten that school sucks up all spare time and didn't consider that my beta would have to wait until she had free time to edit them. But here they are and I hope you enjoy them.

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Sasuke silently watched as Sakura chastised Naruto for being so loud in the hospital and as Kakashi avidly read his porn. He knew he should contribute at least one mean comment to Sakura's destruction of Naruto's un-ending self-esteem, but he simply couldn't think of anything other than Kagome and what he had learned about her relationship with Itachi.

The thought of Itachi had Sasuke grinding his teeth and clenching his fists in anger. What gave him the right to take away everything that Sasuke cared about? What gave him the right to dictate who would go where and do what? And even as he furiously asked the questions he knew the answer.

_Power._

Power gave Itachi every right in the world and immeasurable strength as well. It was power that allowed Itachi to bind Kagome to him for all time. That thought brought a memory attached to it.

_Kagome and Itachi knelt side by side before the Council of Elders in their formal garb. Sasuke sat quietly beside Mother as she worried her lip; the only sign she was unsure about the outcome of this meeting. _

"_Itachi, you bound Kagome to yourself with a forbidden jutsu long ago banned by the Council of Elders. Do you have anything to say in your defense?" Fugaku's voice was hard and unyielding but there was still a hint of pride in his voice over the fact that _his _son had been powerful enough to use a jutsu thought to destroy all who tried to activate it. _

"_No, father." Itachi's voice was cool and emotionless and his face resembled a calm lake: placid and clear yet incredibly deceptive._

_Another Elder spoke up from the far right, "Itachi Uchiha, you will have to take responsibility for your actions and make sure to protect both Kagome-san and the bond you share. If in any circumstance you fail to do so you will be punished accordingly. You are dismissed."_

_With that Itachi and Kagome rose completely in sync, bowed, and left the room. The room erupted into quiet murmuring and taking advantage of his Mother's preoccupation with some friends, Sasuke slipped out into the hall. Only to find Itachi pinning Kagome to the wall fiercely._

_Sasuke froze where he was, but upon seeing that neither Itachi nor Kagome had noticed him crept closer hesitantly._

"_Kagome, I will never allow them to have you. You are _mine_, remember that. Besides those fools have no idea that no matter how many times they try to sever the bond between us they will always fail; we are bound together forever."_

_With that Itachi pressed a hard kiss to Kagome's lip before grabbing her hand and stalking done the hall. _

_At the precise moment that Itachi and Kagome left hearing range Sasuke's mother burst out of the room and upon seeing Sasuke standing there quickly composed her face and closed the door. She wasn't fast enough to stop Sasuke from hearing a snippet of conversation._

"_That Mikoto, how disgraceful to have a son so barbaric as to claim a girl when he was barely 12!"_

_Sasuke strained his ears to catch more of the gossip but his mother swiftly caught his hand and dragged him towards his room, incidentally following the same path as Kagome and Itachi. _

"-suke? Sasuke? Hello…anyone home?" Naruto was waving his hand in front of Sasuke's eyes and with a quick movement he grabbed Naruto's flailing appendages and squeezed them hard.

Naruto jerked his hand back with a wounded yelp and muttered to himself as Sasuke turned to Kakashi who was watching this exchange intently.

"What?"

Kakashi gave a grin; or at least Sasuke thought he gave a grin since he couldn't tell with Kakashi wearing that mask.

"We just wanted to let you know that Kagome has run away." Sasuke's world already unstable world shattered at that single comment. His mind whirled with every possibility under the sun; one stood out predominantly though: Kagome had gone to find Itachi.

_With a giggle Kagome swung Itachi's hand around before beginning to play with the fingers there. She lay beside Itachi in the quiet of the forest, content and full. Itachi complacently watched her study every long elegant finger of his left hand. _

"_I'm so happy here Itachi!" Kagome suddenly dropped Itachi's hand and threw herself onto Itachi to give him a hug. _

_Sasuke watched from the trees as Itachi gently kissed Kagome and she responded eagerly._

Sasuke forcibly shook of the memory of when he had realized that Kagome loved Itachi and not him. Now was not the time to get caught up in such things.

"How long has she been missing?" Sasuke made sure that his voice was completely apathetic with no hint of his real feelings.

"Not long, only a few hours. But, Sasuke, they dispatched a hunter team as soon as they found out she was gone and they managed to find and follow her trail but it suddenly stops about five miles outside of Konoha. The Hokage believes that Kagome may have come in contact with an Akatuski and they kidnapped her." Kakashi's lone visible eye intently studied Sasuke's facial expression at that last piece of information.

He couldn't stop the brief flicker of anger from crossing his face at the thought of Itachi having access to Kagome's abilities. And that brought up the memory of how Kagome had taken the blow meant for him and how she had stared silently at Itachi in the split second before he brutally ripped his sword from her abdomen.

_Drip. Drip._

Sasuke started at the quiet sound and realized with surprise that he had been clenching his fists so tightly that his nails had cut half moon groves into the palms of his hands. He pushed the pain aside for the moment and made a promise aloud that he would make sure he kept.

"I promise I will get Kagome back from Itachi before killing him with my own hand."

-----------------

Kagome awoke groggy and disoriented in a dark room. When she tried to lift her hand to brush the hair from her face Kagome realized she was bound but quickly ascertained that she, thankfully, not gagged.

"So you've finally awoken, eh? You slept for a long time." A rough voice emerged from somewhere above her and the words where followed by a raucous laugh.

"Kisame, control yourself." Itachi smooth cultured voice came from somewhere to her left, "I would advise you not to move quickly Kagome, Kisame has a nervous tick that makes him swing his blade wildly at whatever startles him. And in your current condition, I doubt you could withstand such a blow. Besides, we are in need of your skills."

-----------------------------------

Once again I apologize for the delay. Tell me what you think of it, because when you review you inspire me to write more!


	6. Chapter 6

Betrayal

Well the votes are in and the poll closed so I guess I should announce the news. I will continue to update Betrayal first and for most and The Nine Sins when I get the chance. To all of those who voted I thank you and to all those who didn't I shake my finger at you, but anyways I hope you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

Kagome felt every muscle in her body freeze at Itachi's words. Licking her lips nervously she forced her words out her suddenly dry mouth.

"What can I do for _you _Itachi?" Despite her rather despairing condition Kagome was proud that she still managed to inject some venom into that question.

A sharp gasp escaped Kagome's mouth as her attention swiveled to the large sword that came slamming down barely missing her face. Kisame's voice was low and dangerous as he spoke to her, "You'll speak politely to Itachi considering the fact that he is the only reason you're still alive right now. Now answer the question before I lose all my patience and start removing limbs."

Kagome was rearing up for a lecture when she felt Itachi move. He appeared right beside Kisame and spoke quietly to him and silently moved to the side to allow him to leave the room. With a decisive click the lock slid home and Kagome was alone with Itachi. Her lecturing mood suddenly disappearing she closed her eyes in a mixture of fear and desire she attempted to calm herself.

"What do I have to do to convince you to help me?" Itachi's soft, silky voice purring in her ear however shot that plan to hell.

Kagome's eyes flew open only to see the mangekyou sharingan drawing her down into the dream world Itachi controlled.

**Kagome felt naked standing in the middle of nowhere utterly alone. Itachi could be anywhere doing anything and she wouldn't know it until he chose to let her know.**

**A sudden long dormant instinct had her whirling around to see herself training at the training grounds on that fateful day when her perfect life was shattered. Opening her mouth to call out in sudden fear, to warn her former self of what was coming, **_**anything**_**, she was stopped by a warm arm snaking its way across her flat stomach and yanking her back into an equally warm chest.**

"**Do you think you can with stand it? Observing everything a second time? After all this time there will be no shock to ease the emotions you will feel." Itachi's calm voice came from somewhere behind her ear and it shocked Kagome to hear how amused he was by all this.**

**Kagome tried to wrench herself free but only managed to tighten Itachi's arm around her and end up twisted at her midsection with her upper body facing Itachi.**

"**I sure as hell am not going to give into you, Itachi!" Vehemently ignoring her body's reactions to his closeness Kagome tried to reach for the senbon she kept hidden in her sleeve. She froze at a sudden moan though coming from where her former self had been training.**

"**Would you like to see what it is like to break apart slowly?" Without waiting for an answer Itachi twirled Kagome around to come face to face with something that had haunted her since she had been forced to recount what had happened to the Hokage.**

**There on the dusty ground of the training area lay a writhing Kagome. She was clutching her shoulder in what looked both pleasurable and agonizing and Kagome was stunned to see that **_**that**_** was how she had looked during that brief but unforgettable period of time. **

**A long moment later the Kagome training calmed enough to slowly and trembling rise before almost collapsing again. It took her a long time to finally get steady on her legs and when she did it appeared that she came to a sudden realization. Summoning sudden resolve and strength she managed to surprisingly quickly make her way towards the Uchiha District.**

"**Shall we see what the district looked like at the time, since you obviously know what happens quite clearly?" **

Kisame stood outside the door when a sudden piercing shriek rang out echoingly through the air. A savage grin burst onto his face as he figured that Itachi was done convincing the little chit to help them.

Walking into the drab colourless room Kisame quickly became aware of the sudden tension that had developed of the past 40 something seconds. Itachi was kneeling in front of the trembling girl and it looked like he murmured something into her ear, though he definitely kissed the corner of her mouth before he stood up and turned to look at Kisame.

"She will help us. Move her to my room, I need to speak with Leader." With that Itachi left the room leaving Kisame to deal with the silently crying girl.

"Come on Kitten, we've got to get you out of here." Moving forward to grab Kagome and haul her up he was forced to leap back as she leapt forward with a thin senbon in hand.

Kagome quickly settled into a defensive position with her senbon carefully balanced between her first two fingers. She kicked the fallen ropes out of her way and warily watched Kisame who simply stood there and grinned in cruel humour.

A sudden blur from her peripheral vision had her spinning around only to come face to face with an orange mask and a cheerful chirpy voice.

"Tobi wants to make cookies!"

* * *

I apologize for taking so long to write it but the inspiration just wasn't coming. However now that I have decided to focus entirely on this story I should have more time. And I'm so HAPPY!!I just figured out how to make a solid horizontal line instead of just dotted ones!...' But anyways lets all give me a round of applause for finally figuring it out!


	7. Chapter 7

Kagome reluctantly woke up. She was cradled in a soft warm bed and for the first time that she could remember she didn't need to be on guard. Some small part of her mind shrieked at her to snap out of this, to get up, and to flee before whatever storm was coming caught up with her. Kagome wanted to shout at it to go away and let her sleep but it stubbornly stayed until finally she forced her eyes open and thrust herself into the land of the living.

Blinking groggily and struggling to get her bearings she didn't notice the shinobi in the chair beside her until they spoke –in a heart wrenchingly beautiful voice to boot- and drew her attention away from the silk sheets she had cocooned herself in.

"If you have decided to finally get up there is food on the table. Be presentable by the time I return; Leader wished to meet with you."

As Kagome blinked stupidly at the man he rose smoothly from his sitting position and strode out the door. She opened her mouth to ask a question but the doors decisive click shattered her train of thought. With a sigh and a shake of the head Kagome rose and went to the food.

All the while, though, she couldn't help but feel as if some part of her was missing; as if she was a puzzle that lacked a few key pieces.

* * *

Itachi made sure to lock the door on his way out. No matter how much Leader had assured him that Kagome would remember nothing of her promise to kill him he could not help but be cautious. He was of the Uchiha after all and thus cautious-ness came naturally to him, just like how owning Kagome was a birthright of his. He frowned ever so slightly at that thought. He knew now that it would only distract him to fully claim her as his own, but he had been foolish enough before to complete it to it's capacity with him at 13. Even shattered and neglected as it was at this point the seal still held much sway in how Kagome acted, and most especially with things to do with the clan she served and the man she submitted to.

"So, what's _so_ important about that little chit? She doesn't look worth your time." Kisame's voice cut through Itachi's quiet reasoning easily but he smoothly hid the annoyance before answering.

"She was the girl my father decided to train; I ended up claiming her as mine and placing an ancient seal on her neck, though I broke it later. After she discovered what I had done to the clan she revoked her vow to me and instead swore to kill me in redemption of their deaths. She has sought to do so ever since."

Kisame absorbed the knowledge and pushed away the surprise over the fact that Itachi had actually told him something instead of brushing it off. With a grin he said, "So she's the reason we had to go back to Konoha, not some recon mission? Does Leader even know we did that?"

"No. And there is no need to enlighten him if he has not figured it out." A glare cemented Kisame's mental resolve to steer clear of the chit that had been silly enough to bind herself to the possessive Uchiha. He wasn't worried about the girl but Itachi could be damn scary when he wanted to be, especially if he'd got it in his mind to rend some limbs to emphasize his point.

With a grimace at the thought of having to reattach any arms or legs Kisame nodded and turned to go down a different passage leaving Itachi with his thoughts.

* * *

With a pleased sigh Kagome patted her stomach. She had eaten all of the food given, though until then she hadn't realized she was hungry. And now that she thought about it her first thought about the food was that that man - she knew she was supposed to know his name but it just wasn't coming- had wanted her to feed him.

A blush spread across her face as she remembered what feeding someone had meant in her clan. It was an utter act of submission only preformed by those who where bound into servitude and it was never committed willingly. And she had been thinking about doing it without being forced!

A sudden jolt of emotion shocked her out of all contemplation of her previous food ideas. Annoyance, a twitch of anger, and something similar to pride suddenly washed forward from some dark corner of her mind. They carried a sort of tang with them, one of darkness and power-something not of Kagome's mind. A disturbed sound escaped her mouth at the thought that something or someone could share with her their feelings. It violated all feelings of privacy and felt far to intimate for a stranger to do.

A shudder worked its way up her spine at the thought that someone might be able to control her if they could send her their emotions.

Almost happily Kagome realized that someone had knocked on the door. With a polite –if somewhat timid- 'come in' he entered. Kagome's breath simply fled her in the instant that the man she saw before entered the room in full regalia. A name came to her then, in that moment of overwhelming power and want.

"_Itachi…"_

* * *

Yes, it has been a long time but I was struck with writers block and until kira-knuppel kicked me in the butt and made me get writing nothing was coming. But now I'm going to take suggestions as to what you'd like to happen next and see how it turns out. I also plan to post a series of Kagomesomeone one-shots soon, so be on the look out for it. And I will be accepting requests for them as long as you include a prompt with the pairing; a prompt can be as simple as 'apple sauce' or as in depth as 'Kagome rescues him from rapid sharks and then bonds over apple sauce with him before he saves her life' or something along the lines.

Review and Request!


	8. Chapter 8

A fleeting but powerful brush of memories, a silken bed, dark laughter, and utter obedience, washed over her before slowly seeping away, leaving in its place the name of the magnificent person before her

A fleeting but powerful brush of memories, _a silken bed, dark laughter, and utter obedience_, washed over her before slowly seeping away, leaving in its place the name of the magnificent person before her. A quiet glance at him from under her lashes showed that he was agitated at something and oddly enough smug. Kagome vaguely wondered where the knowledge of his moods had come from before he spoke.

"So, you are aware of my name. That will save us time. Come, Leader requires your presence immediately." Even as her mouth opened to protest, a small -or formerly small- part of her took control of her body and forced her to follow the command issued. She stood, her body instinctively falling into place behind his as they left the room.

They walked silently down the dank and forbidding halls. Kagome mentally entertained herself by guessing which way her captor's -_Itachi's_- cloak would sway next. Because of this she failed to notice Itachi had stopped until she walked into his back.

"Oof."

Kagome blushed at the look Itachi threw her over his shoulder and, even though she didn't quite understand why, stepped back and cast her gaze onto the rough, unkempt floor.

"What is it that is so very important that you must speak to me, Deidara? Surely your partner requires your presence." Jolted out of her brief burst of contriteness at Itachi's tone, Kagome peaked around his shoulder in order to view the person who incensed him so much. It wasn't often that someone managed to upset Itachi in such a way.

She only managed a quick glimpse of long blonde hair before Itachi whisked her down the hallway and towards this unknown person everyone seemed to hold in high regard.

* * *

Sasuke threw his clothes rapidly into a bag blindly, not even bothering to check what he had packed. He prepared another, smaller, bag with weapons from his personal cache. Kunai, shuriken, fuuma shuriken, coils of sharp silver wire, explosive tags of varying intensities, all that and more went into the bag as Sasuke ransacked his room as quickly and quietly as possible.

It took little time to assemble everything and even less time to mentally prepare himself for what he was about to do. In his mind it wasn't even a real descision, just simply something he _had_ to do. Leaving Konoha didn't matter; he had no particular loyalty to this village, it was exactly that and nothing more. His loyalty lay with the last remaining person loyal to his clan, Kagome, and even if she didn't want his help he would give it to her. For the sake of his honour and the memory of his family, he _would_ find her and then he'd kill Itachi.

With that thought firmly cemented into his head he left his apartment and stepped into the oncoming dusk.

_Kagome, wait for me. _

* * *

Kagome stumbled and tried to keep up with Itachi's quick steps but failed as he only seemed to increase his pace more and more. Kagome mentally envisioned herself fighting whatever part of her seemed to take over when Itachi commanded something and tried to take control of her mouth back to ask Itachi to slow down. It was agonizingly slow and took many tries but Kagome finally managed to force her lips to form the words she wanted.

"Itachi-san...please, can you slow down? You're hurting me and I-" Her words abruptly cut off by both Itachi's sudden lack of movement and the sudden lack of control over her mouth, her momentum carried her almost straight into his chest.

"Excuse me?"

Tilting her head up, Kagome found red eyes to be narrowed in something akin to irritation. Instantly Kagome fought to control the urge to immediately apologize. She bit her lip hard enough that her teeth clicking together made a soft sound. As it was, a soft whimper of distress still made its way out of her throat. The emotions in Itachi's eyes instantly disappeared at the sound, though, somehow she knew they still simmered below the surface somewhere.

He turned and began walking again without another word; though Kagome couldn't help but notice that he did so at a -slightly- slower pace than before the interaction. She mentally congratulated herself on the minimal win. Somehow she knew there wouldn't be any more coming.

* * *

Well, here it is I promise to put more Sasuke and Team Seven into the next chapter, but Kagome's part just had to be down before that. Tell me what you think(it helps me update faster)!


	9. Chapter 9

Kagome let her eyes drift closed as the warm water lapped at her chin. It was the most relaxed she been the whole day. Especially since meeting 'Leader'.

A grimace worked its way onto her features as she recalled the details of that particular meeting. First, she was told Itachi was to be her guard while here, then 'Leader' demands for her to show him the broken seal on her neck. If she hadn't been so confused as to how it got there –or so intimidated by this ginger-haired man with abnormal eyes- she would never have aquisced. For some reason looking at it made her –well not _remember _bad things since she couldn't actually dredge up any memories of it, but feel like she _should_ feel something; like she was missing a key building block in who she was.

A long sigh escaped Kagome's mouth as she leaned back against the lip of the tub and closed her eyes. These thoughts would get her no where and yet they danced around in her head, taunting her mercilessly. Almost -and her eyes flew open at this- like Itachi in a way. Things she knew about him and things she knew she _shouldn't_ know were a muddled jumble in the back of her mind, drifting forward occasionally to point out little things she missed; like how he still wore his clan necklace, or how when he was displeased with something his eyes would narrow a fraction and the remaining would blaze an even brighter red.

Kagome shuddered to remember those eyes. They invoked such a missmatch of emotions: desire and worry, hatred and love, and maybe even happiness. Rarely would she feel any emotion stronger than the others, but often she would feel as if she _should_ feel some more prominatly. She just wasn't sure which.

* * *

Sasuke was just about to reach the gate when he saw the familiar forms of his teacher and teammates in front of him. His back tensed and he let out a soft hiss of frustration. It was going to be that much more difficult to leave the village now that they would be there to try and stop him.

As he reached them he saw with mild surprise that they where all prepared similarly to him: for long, hard travel. Then his thoughts clicked and his eyes narrowed.

"No." There was a savage defiance in Sasuke's voice as his spoke his dissent.

Sakura and Naruto jerked around to face him, surprise written all over their faces. He ignored them as he focused on Kakashi with a silent intensity.

"It's a mission assigned to us by the Hokage, Sasuke. There is no way we could have refused." Kakashi's voice was hard and flat, and for once his book wasn't in sight.

Naruto jumped in to offer his opinion, "Yeah! Besides, it's not like we could let you go alone teme! And if the Hokage hadn't given us this you would have become a missing-nin! So you better be grateful!"

Sasuke's head snapped to look at Naruto and when he spoke there was an iciness in his tone that none of them had heard before; "I really don't care whether you could have let me go alone; I would have made you. And I don't particularlly care if I'm branded a missing-nin."

With those harsh words he stepped away from them and continued on out of the gate. Kakashi glanced at their stunned faces and mentally grimaced; so much for convincing him of their help. He signaled for Sakura and Naruto to follow as he raced off after Sasuke and into the darkness.

* * *

Tsunade rubbed her temples in agravation. She really needed a bottle of sake right now, but Shizune had hidden her booze and told her to figure out some solution to this situation before she gave it back.

The problem was, Tsunade had no clue in hell what to do. Kagome was too stubborn to return –if she had even left of her own free will- and if she was kidnapped it wasn't like she could just waltz back home and pick up her life where she had left it. In fact, Tsunade was pretty certain that she had forsaken her life in Konoha in exchange for the chance to kill Itachi –not that they didn't have enough people ready to do that: Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, almost any shinobi here, even Tsunade herself would willingly deliver the final blow.

Which brought her back to her present problem: how to secure Kagome's safety while taking care of her village. A deep sigh escaped her barely parted lips as Tsunade stared out into the vast night and contemplated Kagome's future.

_I hope you know what you're doing Kagome. I hope you don't regret your descicions._

* * *

Kagome shifted awkwardly where she was sitting. Between the blonde haired man –whom she believed was called Deidara- who was chattering non-stop and Itachi –who in severe contrast said almost nothing- for dinner made for an incredibly uncomfortable situation.

"-I mean Itachi has told us practically nothing about you and the only one who knows is Kisame. But, he never tells us anything so we're totally in the dark. Also, you just got here but I heard that you had a relationship before with out resident Sharingan user," here Deidara somehow managed to ignore Itachi's blazing glare and continue obliviously, "meaning you must have been really important where ever you came from. So, what's your name?"

Kagome started at the sudden change in topic and attempted to recover quickly, "Ah, I'm Kagome Higurashi."

Deidara's brow raised in surprised respect and a low whistle escaped his lips.

"Really? Of the Higurashi clan? _Awesome!_ I hate having to deal with Itachi and his small range of medical ninjutsu. So, you can totally heal us whenever we're injured."

"Kagome is a guest here. She is not your personal medic, Deidara. And if you do not appreciate my skills you are welcome to attempt to heal yourself when you are injured." Itachi's voice was frosty and his glare could have killed someone with its intensity. In a smooth movement he pushed back his chair and rose from the table. Instantly he turned and began walking out of the room and down the hall. Kagome stumbled to her feet and after quickly bowing to Deidara she raced after Itachi.

Practically sprinting to keep up with Itachi's rapid gait, Kagome spoke quickly and attempted to keep pace at the same time.

"Itachi? What did Deidara do wrong? I mean, I know he's kind of annoying but he didn't see-"

The rest of Kagome's sentence was cut off as Itachi suddenly stopped walking and with a quick twirl pinned her against the cold wall of the hallway.

"Deidara made the mistaken assumption that I would allow you out of my room besides the nessesary allowances. He also assumed that I would allow you to heal others. He was wrong. You are _mine_. And I will not share." Kagome stared into Itachi's intense eyes and knew he was telling the truth.

A shiver slid down her spine as Kagome watched Itachi's eyes swirl dangerously. After a long moment Itachi silently drew away from her and began walking down the hall –leaving Kagome leaning against the wall for support.

"Don't forget: _you are mine_." With that last parting comment, tossed over his shoulder, Itachi disappeared around a corner.

* * *

Here it is, though, unfortunately un-edited as I've yet to receive word from my beta. In liue of making you all wait longer I decided to post this unedited version and then switch it out for the better one when I receive it. Enjoy.


	10. Chapter 10

Sasuke darted along from tree to tree his senses stretched to their max, searching in vain for a trace of Kagome's chakra signature. He'd been running for hours on end and not too long ago he had felt Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi's chakra drop farther and farther back. Now that they where out of his range he assumed they had decided to make camp.

A sudden chakra burst from his right, though, had him swiveling and twisting mid-air to avoid what appeared to be Naruto lunging at him. Another burst had him grabbing a branch and flipping himself around as a Sakura clone hurtled by. Whirling around he activated his Sharingan and prepared for the next onslaught. He wasn't prepared for Kakashi slipping behind him and swiftly chopping the back of his neck.

In the next instant Sasuke was unconscious and slumped in Kakashi's arms as Sakura and Naruto crept closer. Naruto looked worse for wear from his trip at flying through the trees while Sakura merely looked tired.

"We'll make camp back at the spot we chose and wait until," glancing at the lightening sky Kakashi continued, "noon before we wake Sasuke. Be prepared to leave then."

With that decreed they sped back the way they had come, one passenger heavy.

* * *

_Kagome's fingers flew across the distance and settled onto the scabbard of Itachi's sword when in an instant later it was flying through the air diagonal to her at incredible speed. She jerked back as fast as her injured body would allow, and yet she couldn't fully avoid the savage roundhouse that sent her flying right into a tree. _

_She gasped painfully and struggled to focus, to fight against the crippling pain in her midsection. To even just rise up, but all she could force her body to do was lay there in agony against the trunk as Itachi strode closer and closer. _

_Kagome vaguely heard him kneel somewhere to her left and she felt his chakra slowly come to rest on her body. But, what she really noticed was the insistent voice in her head that demanded she relax and let herself be healed. _

_Too tired to do anything else she did as the voice commanded and forced her body to lay relaxed upon the grassy forest floor. As she did so she could feel as the pain slowly leeched away leaving her empty and silent. A soft brush of something –lips?- against her ear drew her waning attention to the softly spoken words._

"_You shouldn't have fought me, Kagome. I will cut you down every time you do, and once you lay broken at my feet I will raise you back up to stand by my side for ever." _

With those chilling words echoing in her mind Kagome surrendered to the darkness…

…And awoke with a sharp gasp. Body lurching at an obscene angle she blindly clutched her stomach in the phantom pain that wasn't there. Quiet sobs rang through the night and it took Kagome a long time to realize they where hers, and that tears wet her face not blood.

Warm arms encircled her and drew her close as her body heaved and spasmed in the aftermath of one of the most horrible nightmares she'd ever had.

Several minutes passed before she realized heat slowly permeated her cold body as she lay in that circle of warmth and calmed her frenzied mind. With a final shudder of horror she sank limply against her protector who had held her silently through it all.

* * *

Kagome lazily awoke and slowly stretched her arms above her head as her toes curled in pleasure, her back arching smoothly. A sigh of contentment slipped through her lips as she relaxed her body and lay boneless upon the bed. Though, a sudden shift from her bed had her neck rolling upwards as her eyes took in the sight of Itachi's half closed eyes. His tongue slid out and ran across his full lower lip before retreating, all without taking his eyes off of Kagome. A shiver raced down her spine as her body twisted slightly to move from her side to her back as Itachi gently sat up. Craddling her in his lap he reached behind him and when his hand withdrew from below the pillow a kunai lay within his grasp. A shivery sensation rolled over her body as her muscles froze and refused to move when Itachi drew the kunai across his right palm that a simple shift of weight had freed up.

Kagome stared stunned and vaguely dazed at Itachi as he smeared the blood from his wounded hand onto her lips and then began to draw some design on the skin of her neck. She wasn't sure why it was that she suddenly couldn't move but she was pretty sure it had something to do with the burning sensation in her shoulder and with the words that couldn't be English that Itachi was speaking.

A soft brush of lips against her palm was the only indication she got of what Itachi was going to do. A clean, neat, slice appeared in the wake of the bloodied kunai he drew across Kagome's hand. A second kiss after the fact had blood smearing onto his lips and as if by some signal the words he spoke switched from flowing, lolling words to dark whispered tones in English.

"You will live for me and for me alone. You will live for me, kill for me, obey me in everything. Burn the world for me…rip the world for me. Make the world weep for me. Freedom is nothing but a memory; you will belong to me. And you will serve _me_."

With those chilling words that Kagome knew should have meant more to her than they did, Itachi leaned forward and crushed his smooth aristrocratic lips against her own. Blood tainted her taste buds from their open mouths and it suddenly seemed like all she could think about was submitting to Itachi and letting him have his way with her. It blurred her senses until the only thing she could focus on was the man before her and what he was doing to her body. Lips, teeth, hands, they all just seemed like simple things until they where running over her body, or gliding along her collarbone to tease her into agony.

A soft groan of pleasure and slight pain slipped out when said teeth bit softly at her pulse before lavving over it with a hot tongue. Kagome was swimming in a sea of blinding desire and lust. Nothing mattered but what Itachi was going to do next, or where he would devote his attention after hi-

A sudden crack behind Itachi and the blinding glare of light on her eyes distracted Kagome from the current affairs and drew her attention towards the blue-skinned man in the doorway. A soft grunt of irritation was the only indication that Itachi was indisposed as he crouched agilely above Kagome's inert and stunned form.

"We've got a problem. Looks like those little Leaf brats have caught our trail. Or they're atleast guessing closer to where we are. Now, I know you're busy with your little miss there," here Kagome received a cheeky grin from him "but I'm pretty sure that Leader says Akatsuki comes before lovers. We'll just throw them off the scent and maybe give them a good scare or two and then you're free to romp away."

* * *

With his spiel finished Kisame beat a quick retreat and mentally cursed Leader for having put him of all people with Itachi, the only one who could stare at a person with no expression and make them want to kill themselves rather than endure it any longer. He'd actually seen it done; though that had been when Itachi had entered the Interrogation room and Hidan had failed to properly secure the prisoner that they'd been able to impale themselves with a nearby scalpel rather than endure his method of inquiry.

Violence did always have a way of cheering him up and with a skip in his step and a grin on his face Kisame headed out to ensure that their little Leaf would get to have the best reception possible.

* * *

My beta's computer has decided to inconvenience both her and myself forcing me to release yet another un-edited chapter. I hope you can ignore any spelling errors or grammatical flaws though if you feel they are to glaring to ignore please inform me and I will correct them as soon as possible.

This chapter has been written for a while and I've been simply to lazy to write the next one before posting this one. So hopefully within the next few days/weeks my muse will strike me on the head and shout in my ear for me to get off my butt and write.


	11. Chapter 11

Well, I had intended to get this out earlier, but since my spell check wasn't(and still isn't) working I had to wait a bit before giving up and uploading it anyways. So if you find any spelling mistakes please tell me and I'll fix them as fast as I can.

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Souta stalked through the market with barely concealed impatience. He had never intended to linger this long and his companion was neither helping the situation nor doing anything to dissuade Souta's angry wanderings. Shoving a hand through his hair he paced through the crowds of people towards the outskirts of this pathetic little town. Not even worthy of the title of town, more like a village, Souta mused and felt a stab of pain through his heart at that thought. Kagome had been missing for weeks, almost months and here he was stuck waiting for permission to _leave_ it.

A flash of pink out of the corner of his eye, along with the sudden rise of chakra drew his attention away from the search he had started for his partner. Turning to face where it had come from more directly he cut across the street heading for the small group of what appeared to be shinobi. They huddled close together with their backs to the wall of a store heads bent towards each other and even as Souta rapidly approached they did not look up.

Well, at least not until he stood before them and with a low voice said, "What the _fuck_ are three shinobi doing in Higurashi territory?"

Souta was almost surprised at the vehemence in his voice before he shrugged it off, saying that they deserved it for being stupid enough to wander out of their own territory and into his clan's.

"We're hunting one Kagome Higurashi who as a former member of your clan is representing yourselves in the shinobi world. We also where told that _your_ clan was granting us safe passage through their territory to search for her whereabouts." The smooth voice of the silver haired man slightly to the side of the group sent a sharp zing of danger through Souta. He looked like one who had killed a lot of people, shinobi or otherwise.

When one of the others began to speak Souta scolded himself for that carelessness and tuned back into the conversation only to feel something he had not felt in the longest time. The instincts inside of him recognized the chakra of kin. _Blood_ kin.

_It can't be. Not __**here**__. _

But it was, and without a second glance at the suddenly alert group Souta raced off towards the feeling.

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Kagome hummed happily as she glided along the cobble stone streets towards the outside of town. Itachi had allowed her to go to the market here for a short time while he conducted some business with his partner.

She stopped humming at that thought and began frowning, her steps slowing as she recalled how this 'Kisame' had smirked when Itachi left her at the edge of town with orders to return within the hour. In fact, a sharp twinge between her neck and shoulder had her stumbling to a stop and clutching said spot. These twinges had been happening occasionally throughout the past week since Itachi… well, since he _marked_ her. The term was not her own, but merely the one Itachi had used when she asked what it was- a mark to show to the world who protected her.

Kagome blushed even just remembering what had transpired. The brief feeling of pain faded from her body as she recalled that event and it's pleasant repercussions. Itachi let her do as she pleased as long as she was within his protection- which, with his mark placed upon her neck, was _forever_.

A clatter from behind her drew her thoughts from pleasant memories and into the present. Turning, Kagome assumed that someone dropped something and had her offer of help ready, when she came face to face with the noise causer. Almost literally too. The person, who with short black hair and dark-ish eyes looked only to be a few years younger than her, grabbed her elbows and studied her intently. His eyes seemed desperate and almost fearful as he looked at her so she pushed away her own reservations and opened her mouth the offer springing to her lips readily, "Umm…can I help you?"

The stranger drew back and dropped her arms. He seemed almost hurt. With a frown at that though Kagome drew forward and pressed on.

"I mean, you startled me, but you seem nice. So can I offer some help with…" Her voice trailed off as more people suddenly drew into view. They appeared to know the man before her by the tense looks they exchanged, and even stranger still, one of them- who looked _almost_ similar to Itachi- started forward before being held back a silver-haired man who had appeared with the group.

Suddenly there was a flurry of movement as the new comers all drew weapons from holsters and settled into defensive- well, she _thought_ they where defensive, since some part of her pointed out that they where very weak ones and not at all practiced- stances.

A warm chill seemed to roll over her and she let out a squeal as she realized who had come. Itachi with his partner stood just to the side, starring at the others. Kagome, before she could contain herself raced towards him and hugged him tightly, her voice high and excited as she told him of what transpired. She stopped mid-sentence though, when Itachi did not answer her question. Tilting her head to better see his face Kagome watched as he shared a look with 'Kisame' before speaking.

"There's no need to worry about what I did today, Kagome. It's time to go irregardless."

Kagome nodded her head in acceptance before twisting slightly to get a better grip on his waist. She called out just before they sped away, "Bye! It was….nice to meet you!"

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Souta watched in stunned agony as his beloved sister left in the arms of a man she had professed to hate. His mind couldn't comprehend this: that the Kagome he knew, who was strong, and powerful, and his _sister_ damnit could have done something like that. Something deep inside him cracked and broke as he stared at the basket she had dropped in surprise. He blinked in shock at the sight of little liquid splatters on the ground, sending more tears pouring down his cheeks. A sob caught in his throat and he almost wished he had the power to curse someone. Because right now, that was the only thing he could think of that was a fitting enough punishment for the monster that had done that to her sister. Corrupted her and twisted her mind until she no longer knew who she was.

A howl echoed in the afternoon air and Souta was only mildly surprised it was his own. He wanted to crumple into a little ball and never move, forever mourning the loss of his sister, but something deep inside his demanded that he hunt down this disgusting piece of wasted humanity and drive his blade through it's heart. Uchiha Itachi would die by his hand and his hand alone, if he had to abandon the clan to do it.

Struggling to regain his composure, Souta closed his eyes and mentally centered himself. It was easier to see the situation for what it was without having to fight his instincts in this. Taking a deep breath, he held it for three beats of his heart before releasing it. He did this a few times before opening his eyes and looking around.

The shinobi from before were looking at him expectantly. With a mental sigh Souta turned and began to lead the way back to his hotel room without a word. A slightest bit of anxiety left his form when he heard the shinobi follow him. At least they weren't _completely_ stupid.

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Mmmm, what to say..... what to say. Ah! I hope you liked it and if you did please click the button below and leave a review ^^


	12. Chapter 12

I promised myself I'd never write an Author's Note as a chapter, but here I am doing it. Though, at least this one is only temporary.

I've decided, after looking back at the sorry state of my previous chapters, to revamp my story so to speak. I've already re-edited the first chapter and reposted it (those of you who re-read it will notice subtle differences).

I've decided to do this since I think that from the time I started this story my writing skill has definitely improved, and I want to make sure my fanfic's contain the best of the best. I haven't yet decided if I will do the same for The Nine Sins, but don't be too surprised if a similar note appears on that one as well.

I'm going to try my very best to get this over and done with as fast as possible, with the best of my ability. However it may be a little while until you see an update in place of this chapter (not very shocking considering my usual update timeframe, but still).

I'll ensure that when I do get the next chapter finished that you will all be informed of it and that update notices go out.

I can't remember if I intended to include anything else, but if you have any questions (or complaints) feel free to PM me and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Hopefully this down time will be short-lived.


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